Railway-signal-operating mechanism.



PATENTED OCT. 24, 1905.

F. P. J. PATENALL. RAILWAY SIGNAL OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 113.24. 1906.

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

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PATENTED 001?. 24, 1905.

F. P. J. PATENALL. RAILWAY SIGNAL OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED {$3.24. 1905.

3 SHEETS--SHBET 2.

[NVE/VTGR fg Altomey PATENTED OUT. 24, 1905.

P. P. J. PATENALLc RAILWAY SIGNAL OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED PERM. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- NITED STATES P AEEN T OFFICE.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL-OPEI RATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1905.

Application filed February 24, 1905. Serial No. 247,135.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK P. J. PATENALL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Signal-OperatingMechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway-signal-opcrating mechanism, andparticularly to visual signals. By the term signal as used herein I meanto include any visual signal device which by its color or by itsposition relatively to its support will give indication of the servicecondition of the railroad-track or section of railroad-track which itgoverns,

I will describe a signal-operating mechanism embodying my invention andthen point out the novel features thereof'in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, and 3 are elevations of twosemaphore-signals with operating mechanism embodying my invention formoving each signal to two positions, the signals being shown indifiterent positions in each figure. Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are elevationsof two semaphore-signals with operating mechanism (partly in perspectivefor the sake of clearness) for moving one of the signals to threepositions and the other to two positions, the signals being shown indifferent positions in each figure. Figs. 8, 9, 1O, 11, and 12 aresimilar views of two semaphore-signals with operating mechanism formoving each signal to three different positions, the signals being shownin different positions in each figure.

The broad idea contemplated by my invention is to operate a plurality ofsignals by a plurality of levers with a single line of connectionsbetween the levers and the signals and the levers being at all timesoperatively connected to the signals.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, A is a signal-post, and B B twosemaphore-signals pivoted thereon in the usual manner and provided withthe usual counterweights I), which tend normally to hold the blades indanger position. C and C indicate two angle-levers for operating thesignals, which levers are to be pivoted at their angles 0 upon suitablesupports. (Not shown.) It is to be understood that these levers will beprovided with means for locking them in any position to which they maybe moved. F or instance, they may be provided with a latch adapted toengage notches in a quadrant in a well-known manner. These details ofconstruction, however, form no part of the present invention and are notillustrated in the drawings, it being only necessary to show the leversand other parts of the operating mechanism in the positions they assumein the operation of the signals. It is also to be understood thatsuitable supports and guides will be provided for any other parts of theoperating mechanism wherever they may be necessary. (Z and cl indicatebell-crank levers connected, respectively, to the short arms of thelevers C and U by rods 6 and e, the connections being such as to makethe bell-crank levers act in opposite directions.

f and f are rack-bars connected, respectively, to the crank-levers (Zand d, and their racks are engaged with a floating pinion g on oppositesides thereof. To the pinion g a rack-bar h is journaled, and its teethengage a pinion a, supported to rotate near the post A. This pinion isalso engaged by a vertically-extending rack-bar j, the pinion 71 beingwide enough to engage both rack-bars It and ,7'. The upper end of therack-bar j is pivotally connected to a floating lever 1; substantiallymidway its ends, and one end of this lever is connected by a rod Z withthe counterweight 7) of the signal B, and the other end of said lever isconnected by a rod Z to the blade of signal B. When the parts are innormal position, as in Fig. 1, the floating lever 71; will preferably beinclined from the horizontal, as shown, the end connected to thecounterweight b of the signal B.

This apparatus will operate as follows: To lower the signal B toindicate safety, the lever C will be pulled from the position shown inFig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, or substantially such position, and thiswill operate the crank (Z and cause it to push the rack-bar f toward thepost A, and since the rack-barf cannot move on account of lever C beinglocked in position the pinion Q will travel with the rack f, and therebycause the rackbar it to turn the pinion i, which in turn will by itsengagement with the teeth of the rackbar 7' cause the latter to moveupwardly, and since the signal B cannot be moved upwardly the jointbetween the lever Z; and rod Z will become a fulcrum for the lever 7c,and the end connected to the rod Z will move up to the position shown inFig. 2, and thereby move the signal B to indicate safety. By restoringthe lever C to its normal position the signal B will be returned tonormal position without affecting the signal B, for While thedownwardpull on the lever it will have a tendency to shift signal B it will, infact, not affect it, as the resistance of the counterweight of thesignal B will oppose such movement, while the counterweight b of thesignal B will assist the return movement of its signal to dangerposition. To move the signal B, the lever C will be operated, and theaction will be substantially the same as already described, except thatthe rack-bars f and it will move toward the levers C and C, and therack-bar j will move downwardly and exert a pull on the lever 70 and rodZ, the joint between the lever A: and rod Z being the fulcrum for thelever 7; in this instance. 1

Referring now to Figs. 4:, 5, 6, and 7, the connections between thelever C and the signal B are the same as heretofore described andoperate in the same manner. The connections from the signal B are alsothe same to the rod 6; but in this case instead of connecting this roddirectly to a lever, as C, it is connected to a floating lever 6Z2,about midway the length of the latter, and two levers D and D areemployed, being connected, respectively, to the ends of the floatinglever d In this arrangement the signal B is intended to be moved to twopositions only, as in Figs. 4: and 5. The signal B is, however, designedto be moved to three positions, as in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 to indicatedanger, caution, and safety. To move the signal B to the position shownin Fig. 6 from that shownin Fig. 5, either of the levers D or D may bemoved (D, as illustrated) to the position shown in Fig. 6, and

r as the lever D is locked against movement the joint between it and thefloating lever 0Z will become a fulcrum for the lever (Z and the endthereof connected to the lever D will be lifted, and thereby cause therode to move the crank d to the position shown in Fig. 6, which willresult in moving the racks f, h, and j and the signal B to the positionsshown in Fig. 6. The lever D can next be pulled back to the sameposition as D, and now the joint between lever D and floating lever dbecomes the fulcrum for the latter, and the end of the lever connectedto the lever D is lifted up, which results in moving the rod 0 and allthe other connections between it and the signal B to the positions shownin Fig. 7, by means of which the signal B is moved to the safetyposition.

Referring now to Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, the connections from thesignal B to the levers D and D are the same and operate in the mannerjust described with reference to Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7. In this casethesignal B is also a three-position lever, and instead of the rod 0 beingconnected to a single lever C, as in the figures previously described,it is connected to a floating lever 6 to which the two levers E and Eare connected. Both the signals B and B may therefore be moved to threepositions, as indicated by the figures, and as the operation isprecisely the same as already described with relation to the signal Band levers D and D it is unnecessary to repeat it.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination of a plurality ofsignals, a plurality of signal-operating levers, and a single line ofconnections between all of the levers and all of the signals.

2. The combination of aplurality of signals, a plurality ofsignal-operating levers, and a single line of connections between all ofthe levers and all of the signals, and operating to move each signal toa plurality of positions.

3. The combination ofaplurality of signals, a plurality ofsignal-operating levers, and a single line of connections between all ofthe levers and all of the signals, said connections including a floatinglever, and rack-bars and pinions.

4. The combination of aplurality of operating-levers, a plurality ofsignals, a floating lever connected to both signals, a rack-barconnected to the floating lever, a pinion engaging said rack-bar, andmeans operated by the levers for turning the pinion about its axis ineither direction.

5. The combination of a plurality of signals, a plurality ofoperating-levers, two rack-bars respectively connected to the respectivelevers to be moved in opposite directions, a floating pinion engaged byboth rack-bars, and means for connecting the pinion to all the signals.

6. The combination of aplurality of signals, a plurality ofoperating-levers,two oppositelyacting bell crank levers respectivelyconnected to the respective levers, rack-bars connected to thecrank-levers, a floating pinion between the rack-bars, and connectionsbetween the pinion and all the signals for moving each of said signalsto a plurality of positions. I

7. The combination of two signals supported on a post, a plurality ofoperating-levers, two bell-crank levers connected respectively to therespective levers, two rack-bars connected to the bell-cranks, afloating pinion engaged by both rack-bars, a rack-bar connected to thefloating pinion, a pinion supported to turn adjacent to the signal-postand engaged by the last-named rack-bar, a vertically-moving rack-baralso engaging the lastnamed pinion, a floating lever connected betweenits ends to the vertically-moving rackbar, and connections between theends of the floating lever and the signals.

8. The combination of two signals, a plurality of signal-operatinglevers of which two operate to control one signal, and the remainder tocontrol the other signal, and a single line of connections between allof the levers and both signals.

9. The combination of two signals, a plurality of signal-operatinglevers of which two I to three different positions and the othersigoperate to control one signal and the remainnal to at least twodifferent positions. der to control the other signal, a floating le- Intestimony whereofIhave signed my name ver connected to the said twolevers, two rackto this specification in the presence of two sub- 5blars, one connected to the floating lever and scribed witnesses.

tie other to the remainder of tie operatinglevers, a floating pinionengaged by both rack- FRANK PATENALL' bars, and connections between thefloating Witnesses: pinion and both signals, whereby one of said A.BREWER,

IO signals may be moved by the operating-levers GEO. M. KIMBERLY.

